Gwybodaeth am Fodiwlau
Course Delivery
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Open exam 2000 Words | 50% |
| Semester Assessment | Written Assignment 2000 Words | 50% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Open exam 2000 Words | 50% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Written Assignment 2000 Words | 50% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
Demonstrate an understanding of the main developments in English history from 1066-c.1250.
Construct coherent historical arguments about the extent to which elite warrior culture changed in England across the high medieval period.
Identify the main ideas which shaped contemporary concepts of ideal elite conduct in high medieval England through reading among the secondary literature and examination of a defined range of primary source extracts.
Understand the problems historians face when attempting to define cultural models and ideas and take these into account to some extent when examining primary sources.
Select some specific examples from a defined range of primary sources to support their historical arguments.
Brief description
Chivalry and courtliness are concepts strongly associated with the culture of the elite in medieval England. Despite this, medieval historians have not reached a consensus on how to define these cultural models. There is still much debate regarding not only the point at which ideas related to chivalry and courtliness became established in medieval England, but also why these ideologies were adopted so fully by the medieval elite. In this course, students will explore these decades-long debates and consider how the culture of elite warriors changed across the course of the medieval period in England. Our investigations will begin in 1066, when an invading Norman force brought new ideas of exemplary conduct to the English realm. They will continue into the twelfth century and follow the career of the so-called 'greatest knight' of this age, William Marshal. The course will end by considering whether historians have been correct in their suggestions that there was a decline in chivalry at the end of the thirteenth century.
Content
Indicative lecture topics:
- Norms and ideals as markers of social status
- 1066 – A turning point?
- Chivalry: Problems and definitions
- The education of the elite: youth, tournaments and technological developments
- Elite behavioural ideals and norms
- Ideas of Courtliness
- Life at Court
- Elite women and courtliness
- Depictions of warriors in historical narratives
- Ideal vs reality: Behaviour during war
- The Decline of Chivalry? Evesham and its aftermath
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | Students will be introduced to data in the form of tables and figures and a range of quantitative data, which will require some degree of interpretation and understanding. |
| Communication | Written communication skills will be developed through the coursework; skills in oral presentation will be developed in seminars but are not formally assessed. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | Students will be advised on how to improve research and communication skills through the individual tutorial providing feedback on submitted coursework. |
| Information Technology | Students will be encouraged to locate suitable material on the web and to apply it appropriately to their own work. Students will also be expected to word-process their work and make use of Blackboard. These skills will not be formally assessed. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | Students will develop a range of transferable skills, including time management and communication skills, which may help them identify their personal strengths as they consider potential career paths. |
| Problem solving | Students are expected to note and respond to historical problems which arise as part of the study of this subject area and to undertake suitable research for seminars and essays. |
| Research skills | Students will develop their research skills by reading a range of texts and evaluating their usefulness in preparation for the coursework and the written examination. |
| Subject Specific Skills | Students will develop their analytical skills by engaging with primary source material from the period under study. They will increase their knowledge of historical approaches and methodologies as well as their ability to debate and critique existing historical arguments. |
| Team work | Students will be expected to play an active part in group activities (e.g. short group presentations in seminars) and to learn to evaluate their own contribution to such activities. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 5